


From My Family to You

by misslenabrooke



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: F/F, and a brief mention of trans gal huey because why wouldn't i mention her?, implied abuse cause ya know. lunaris., penny has no family or real concept of romance, please help della she's so in love that it just might destroy her, rated t just for some cussing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misslenabrooke/pseuds/misslenabrooke
Summary: Penumbra is confused about her feelings towards her favorite roomie. But she thinks Della doesn't want her company now that she has her family back.Oh, how wrong she was.
Relationships: Della Duck/Penumbra
Comments: 2
Kudos: 76





	From My Family to You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time formally writing Penumbra and it might show, but I've been dying to write some Dellumbra for a while. They deserve more love, dammit! And as a lesbian how can I possibly resist a ship like this one.
> 
> Also, you can pry my secretly romantic Della headcanons from my cold dead hands.

Penumbra never had much of a family. She had no siblings, and her parents perished when she was young. All she knew was that they met their end at the hands of the moon mite. Penny's goal in life was to avenge her parents and get rid of the mite problem once and for all.

The closest thing to a family she ever had was General Meridian, who was kind enough to take in the orphaned warrior. Penny practically grew up with the general's son, Lunaris. She had mixed feelings about Lunaris over the years. He never really regarded her as anything other than a pesky roommate, but it wasn't like she had any other friends her age. They all seemed afraid of her.

Penny was fortunate to have trained under the general, slowly advancing to the rank of lieutenant. Then Lunaris became the general, and his true colors began to show. Penumbra simply thought for a while that he was just your typical idiot that somehow had power, but a certain someone showing up on Tranquility helped her see that it was much deeper than that.

Della Duck… Oh, Della. This random ass Earther who tamed the moon mite with nothing but that motherly bullshit. How was Penumbra supposed to know that thing had a kid? Della instantly became popular amongst the Moonlanders. They were _Penny's_ people! They respected _her!_ But Selene forbid that she wasn't going to instantly trust someone from a planet they know nothing about! Ugh.

As if Penumbra hadn't been screwed over enough, Lunaris made Della stay with her! She was all sunshine and rainbows, not daring to think that just _maybe_ someone could be working against her. And those stories about stupid old Earth, obviously fake. Della could've at least bothered to wash some dishes! Penny wanted her to be gone already. Be careful what you wish for, it seems like.

The truth was out now. Lunaris was out to get Della _and_ her pathetic planet. Sure, the Earther was annoying, but she was just trying to see her family again! Penumbra would do anything to have her parents back again, and didn't wish it on anyone to be without a family.

As Penny began trying to sabotage Lunaris' plans, the thought of Della wouldn't leave her mind. All of a sudden, she was remembering the tiniest of details she never bothered to notice before. The way Della looked so small and fragile as she slept, but was badass and loud when she was awake. The way her eyes were filled with a fire that could never hope to be put out as she told stories of her many adventures on Earth. The softness in her voice as she talked about her kids.

Della was so _innocent._ She never asked for an interplanetary war! All she wanted was to go back home again. Penumbra had a new goal; she wouldn't let Lunaris succeed. No matter what it took. For all she knew, Earth could be full of ruthless killing machines! But that was the place Della called home, and Penny would never forgive herself if she stood idly by and let Della's home and family be destroyed.

* * *

Life on Earth wasn't easy to get used to, but Penny's people wanted to stay. She didn't mind all this change for their sake, but it put into perspective how Della must've felt on the moon. Ugh, Penny was thinking about her way too much. Was she officially out of her mind? Probably.

But practically every inch of Duckburg, she remembered from a story of Della's many adventures. And wow, there really were so many things that didn't exist back home! One of Della's favorites was flowers. Penumbra was told that giving someone a bouquet of roses was a sign of adoration, a gesture that seemed very odd. After all, it was basically cutting a bunch of plants and shoving them into a cone, only to be given to someone who may not even return those feelings of affection!

While Penny certainly didn't understand this ritual, she couldn't help but wonder if Della had ever been given a rose bouquet. For some reason, the thought made her sick to her stomach. And it wasn't due to the mental image of dead flowers being romantic.

Penumbra _guessed_ this planet was okay. Very odd, but okay nonetheless. After all, it was home to her favorite roomie. (Favorite? Come on, Della was her only roomie besides Lunaris.)

Little did she know, these thoughts of Della were here to stay. And they didn't intend on toning themselves down.

* * *

It seemed like forever until the two were able to spend much time together. Della was quite the busy woman, it seemed. But she _did_ have a family to catch up with. Penumbra couldn't imagine not knowing her own parents for the first decade of her life, with absolutely no memories of them. Their existence being… erased.

Her personal experiences aside, Penumbra was met with a lot more questions than answers when she formally met the Duck family. Surely no Earther could live as long as Scrooge McDuck. Della always referred to her kids as 'the boys', so why were there two girls and two boys? Why was the pilot slash chauffeur extremely bad at his job?

Somehow, they thought _she_ was the interesting one. Penumbra wasn't much to talk about, really.

"Mom said you always got onto her about washing the dishes! Were the dishes made of gold too?" Was Louie's first question.

"Did you ever get into wars with other planets?" Was Webby's question.

"Isn't my mom the coolest?" Dewey asked.

"Mom could breathe on the moon due to Oxychew and your people didn't need such an aid. So how can Moonlanders also breathe air? How about water?" Was the first of Dollie's many questions.

"Are you okay after all that stuff Lunaris did to us?" Donald asked.

But Della's question hit Penumbra the hardest. It came out when the two were sitting alone in her room. With a soft glow in her eyes, Della asked:

_"Did you miss me?"_

It took a moment for Penumbra to figure out how to respond. "Did you think I wouldn't? If you never showed up, I would never have known what Lunaris was up to."

Della sighed. "I know, I just thought you were too busy with your people to come see me."

"They're doing fine here. I thought _you_ were busy with your family! I.." Penumbra sighed as well. "I didn't want to intrude."

The duck ran a hand through the other's hair below her helmet. "You saved us, Penny. You would never be intruding." Moving her hand down to brush Penumbra's cheek, the latter blushed slightly in response.

"Della, is it okay if I tell you something really personal? I don't want to ruin your mood, though."

Della kissed the back of Penny's hand. "It's okay, really. Go ahead."

Deciding to ignore that gesture for now, Penumbra took a deep breath before she spoke. "I don't have a family."

The duck was taken off guard by this, letting go of Penumbra's hand in order to process this new information. "You don't have a family? No one at all?"

She shrugged. "Lunaris is the only person close to it. His father took me in back in my youth, and we grew up together. You can see how well that went, though. He never seemed to think much of me beyond a pest."

"The point is, Della, I would never wish it on anyone to be without their family. Especially not you. I don't belong in your family, and you deserve to spend your time with them."

And there came that look. One that Penumbra remembered fondly. Della's eyes practically bore into her own, which she would normally associate with being abused & manipulated, except there was nothing but genuine compassion and softness in them. It made Penumbra feel safe.

"Penumbra," Della's tone was probably more serious than the other has ever heard from her, as if the use of her full first name wasn't serious enough on its own. "I too don't want anyone to be without a family. If you're with the right people, a family can be the best thing to possibly have. Family is not always who you grew up with or share DNA with. Sometimes, a family is a group of people who _choose_ you and always love and support you no matter the circumstances."

Penumbra raised a nonexistent eyebrow, face heating up more than before. "What are you saying?"

Della held the alien's chin in her hands. "Call me crazy if you want, but something sparked in me when we first met. No matter how much you wanted to get rid of me or pick a fight, I couldn't stop loving you. I saw that underneath that rough exterior, there was a brave and noble woman with lots of compassion. You took my breath away every time you looked at me or said my name. My feathers stood on end when you were next to me, and it felt _amazing._ "

"I still don't quite understand what you mean." No way was Penny going to let her guard down any more than she already had.

Della answered by minimizing the space between them, rigid yellow beak pressed ever so slightly and gently against soft, lavender lips. Penumbra had no chance to react before the duck pulled her closer by the cheeks, kissing Penumbra like they might never see each other again.

The normally levelheaded alien felt like her head was spinning. She wasn't aware that this was a ritual Earth shared with her own culture. It certainly felt odd to be kissing someone with a beak, but the fact it was Della was reassuring, even if Penny was a little terrified of these feelings. All she could do in the moment was stare blankly into space.

Della had a noticeable change in confidence after she pulled away, no longer making eye contact and twirling pieces of her hair with her finger. "I didn't know what else to say. I can understand if you're upset."

"I'm not upset, but… why? Why did you do it?" Penumbra was genuinely confused. Della was a beautiful, smart, and insanely strong woman. She could easily get anyone she wanted, so why _Penumbra_ of all people?

She sighed, not exactly reassured by Penny's affirmation.

"Did that question upset you?" The alien asked, putting a hand on Della's shoulder. She wasn't completely used to so much physical contact, but the Earther made it feel a bit more natural.

Della let out a defeated chuckle. Selene knows what was going through that duck's head. "I love you so damn much, Penny. So much that it's practically killing me. But I want you to know that even if you don't feel the same, me and my family are always happy to accept you."

Dammit, more blushing. It felt so foreign to Penny. "I… acknowledge your feelings, Della. These past few months have had me struggling with my own feelings, but they are positive nonetheless. I hope it won't hurt you as I try to figure them out."

She smiled softly, looking back up at Penumbra. "I totally understand. I'm just glad you don't hate me for it or anything. But my point still stands. My family is always here if you need us."

Penumbra chuckled. "Thanks, roomie."

When the alien eventually found herself exiting the manor, all she could do was smile to herself. For the first time in her life, it was carefree and genuine.

That Della Duck had her heart, regardless of whether or not Penny was aware of it.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr is @indysabrewing and my Twitter is @beangrunkwitz if you wanna give me a follow!


End file.
